poetry

warthogs on the lawn

warthogs on the lawn

to be English in Africa:
beating back the bush
sipping tea and quinine
keeping your garments bleached white
despite red clay and grey dust
serving Her Majesty
a world away
stripping another tribe’s land
to twist the sinews of war
admiring the steel span view
(naturally, not the falls)
all while determinedly peering past
the warthogs on the lawn